#I’m still not the best at draw Mona

[awzominator]

RaMona my beloved they catchin snowflakes and being cute

[charcoaldustonmyfingers]

Kinda oddly embarrassed to send this but oh my god your art is so pleasing to look at for some reason

I think it's just the soft shapes you use and how amazingly 3D everything tends to look?? Like the angles and proportions are just so perfect that I find it easy to imagine most of what you draw as a 3D model or something

And like I don't think I could nail it like you (maybe with time!!) But I am definitely taking inspiration from it because it DOES get me thinking about how you use shapes and angles and wonder if I could practice that because oh my god I wish I could absorb your art

Do you have methods or techniques to make it look so 3D? if you know what I mean? I tend to use grids to try and map out the shapes in a vaguely 3D plane, so I was wondering if you had tips kinda like that to share with the class? or if you're just winging it and it's a lot of practice?

Thank you so much!!! It really means a lot to me when others take inspiration from my art, it reminds me of all the artists I used to look up to and emulate when I was first starting out on MSPaint with a broken trackpad for a pen, you don’t have to be embarrassed! You’ll definitely be able to harness 3D space and create fantastic work, you’re already well on your way! Having passion and a desire to learn will take you far :)

My biggest focus whenever I draw is to make the characters feel real, as though you could reach out and enter the space they’re in to sit next to them on the couch. I’m so glad that I’m able to pull it off! Thanks for the rose, I’ll be sure to cherish it :)

As for my methods and techniques…

Drawing on a 3D grid plane is definitely something I do! Its perfect for comic panels or storyboards, to set the scene and ground characters or props to their environment.

I did a lot of classical study, that is life drawing and still life drawing, but simply using reference for buildings and anatomy also helps a lot and is a lot easier to find. I’d also sketch my hands, plastic animals, and my surroundings, as well as people watch for inspiration for character mannerisms or fashion. It’s useful to know a little bit about the inner workings of anatomy, as there are places were bone makes a person inflexible, while places with more muscle or fat are affected by things like gravity or pressure that change their shape. Drawing a flour sac to act out different emotions is a great way to practice weight and character acting!

Having studied animation, I did a lot of turnarounds to get characters consistent and able to be rotated in 3D space. It can be pretty tedious for some people, but it really does help solidify the characters’ shapes and design, and serves as great reference to look back on if you need it! If you don’t want to do something so stiff as a turnaround, simply drawing expressions and poses from dynamic angles helps too. I’ve found that breaking a character down into basic shapes that are easy to draw in a 3D plane also can help my anatomy and foreshortening be more accurate.

Most importantly, find something that brings you joy to draw! Every “traditional” method of study can be applied to things you like, so don’t feel the need to burn out thinking you can only draw the Mona Lisa or whatever. I’ve done anatomy studies on the Rise turtles to figure out their skeletal structure, and friends of mine have painted some mind blowing concept art inspired by Sonic and D&D!

I hope this helps some? Best of luck, and have fun! :D

Below are a couple of examples of some of my studies:

[enb-y]

↬ MICHELANGELO WITH AN ARTSY BEST FRIEND.

rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles.

request: ❝ platonic gender neutral reader + mikey being artist besties?? they draw or paint or whatever together mayhaps??? tysm in advance if you end up doing this ^-^ ❞ — anonymous.

warnings: none. platonic relationships.

characters: michelangelo.

writers note: this actually sounds so cute! I love this boy, so I got you, hopefully this came out like you wanted. I’m sorry for getting to your request late.

✶ michelangelo is delighted, he’s happy to have someone who he can get artsy and messy with, especially in paint, he loves that.. he’s capable of having fun and help each other paint, not only that and if you’re comfortable with. you both can show and compliment each others project, and give an explanation of said project.

✶ mikey will never judge you, whatever it may look like he’ll either compliment you or give you advice to help you progress as you go, it never rude, he’s supportive and helpful.

✶ during painting sessions, it definitely gets messy — really messy, he’ll likely whip paint on you, it could either be your clothes, face.. he’s likely to accidentally to put some into your hair.. however the hell that happens, he just use that opportunity to make a mess and become a competitive.

✶ speaking of competitive, he’s very competitive (not as bad as leo). he loves the challenge and raph is the judge who has the better drawing or something, but it always leads to both of you winning.

✶ if you made him something, he definitely hangs it up in his room or put it somewhere in his room, doesn’t allow anyone to touch it, just look. like as if its an art museum. whatever it looks like, he’s treating it like you painted mona lisa.

✶ he will definitely be your model, he would love to be something for your inspiration, you’ll get him all giddy and shit. it could be a sketch or a painting, he doesn’t care, he’s just happy that you wanted him to your model, but I don’t think he could stand or sit still long enough.

✶ he looks like the type to finger paint, it’s simple, yet it’s fun when it’s with you.

✶ he’s definitely painted you before and gave it to you as a gift, he was so happy when you said you loved it and had it in your room.

✶ he loves to challenge you, he’ll find a character and have you draw it. it could be in your style or the cartoon style. he’ll do it too, just because it’s fun and he wanted to see who could do it better.

✶ michelangelo wants to see everything you drawn or painted. he even wants to see your old sketche books for when you were like ten. he will show you his too, I think he’ll get a bit embarrassed by it.. because you know, it’s ugly (as an artist would say.)

✶ everything aside, this kid loves everything you make, it could be painted or drawn and loves having fun painting with you. he has places other than the lair to paint or sketch. you both have a secret hideout to do all those things.

end - I feel like I’m missing something but I don’t know what, it’ll come to me.. boy I’m shleepy.

[fabuloustrash05]

What is your honest opinion on the TMNT 2012 girls? In my opinion I don't understand a lot of the hate they get and they weren't even horrible or that badly writen. Yeah there were flaws in their writing but so did the other male characters have it as well.

I love all the girls! Some more than others. They all have their good qualities and I will admit even my favorites have flaws, but I blame the writer's more than the characters themselves.

This took awhile to put together and get my honest thoughts through, but here it is! Here’s my opinion of the TMNT 2012 Girls: April, Karai, Irma, Renet, Mona Lisa, Shinigami and Alopex!

April O'Neil

My opinion of April has changed throughout the years. As a kid first watching the series I felt indifferent towards her (I didn’t hate her but I also didn’t like her), then when the series was over I grew salty and began to hate her on rewatch. I became a toxic person because of my hatred for 2012 April, but lately I’ve grown to like her and appreciate her for the good things she’s done. I’m proud of her for how far she’s come in her ninja training. I think most of that change came from how ridiculously hated she is in the fandom when honestly she doesn’t deserve that hate. She's not the best or the perfect character, but some people make it their religion to hate on her and it's pathetic. I realized how toxic 2012 April haters are and I wanted to distance myself from that and I began to chat with 2012 April fans and things got better for me and my opinion of her change to something more positive.

My biggest problem with April still to this day is her relationship with Donnie and how it was handled. I disagree when people say she was manipulative towards Donnie and Casey cause honestly I can understand that she feels uncomfortable and awkward in this situation these boys put her in and is conflicted on how she should handle it, because in the end she is only a 16 year old girl and both Donnie and Casey are still her friends that she cares about. Now her kissing Donnie at the farmhouse, I was mad at her for, but that was a dumb decision on the writer's end. That choice made it come off that April is leading him on, but honestly Donnie is not perfect either and he is just as bad when is comes to this relationship, but this post isn't about Apritello, it’s about April. If you wanna know how I would've handle Donnie and April's romance, you can check it out HERE.

I fully blame the writer's on this one, but I feel April's plot with her family's connection to the Kraang, her mom missing, and her being a half Kraang herself was totally wasted and forgotten by the 3rd season. They were doing good build up to it but then I feel they completely dropped it and forgot about it by season 4 and onward. My guess is the writer's didn't know where to go on from there so they just ignored it for the rest of the series hoping we wouldn't notice. Her have psychic powers is cool but feels totally random and out of place at times. Yeah, Kraang Prime has psychic powers too but most of April's Kraang heritage plot often leaves more questions than answers. Another thing is I wish she was given more Kraang features as the series progressed. I see a lot of fans today draw her with Kraang like eyes or tentacles coming out of her head and neck and it looks really cool! Let my girl embrace her alien side!!

Karai

She used to be my all time favorite character in the series, her intro episode is what got me into fully watching the rest of the series. So I thank Karai for being the reason I really got into TMNT. I loved her, but after rewatching the show a few times, I would see her choices and just wonder “what the hell was she thinking?” She does so many dumb decisions as the series goes on and it begins frustrate me. She had two opportunities to go back to her real father and be a family with him and her turtle brothers, but instead she is blinded by her vendetta against Shredder and wants to overthrow his empire. Now that is a cool concept, Karai taking over the Foot, but when she returned in season 4 it just feels out of no where and I feel I skip a whole arc or season. I wish they gave her more time to grow and we see her come to this decision instead of it just happening. Side note, but I love how even before the reveal, Karai acts like a teasing older sister towards the Turtles. Her dynamic with Donnie, Raph and Mikey is rare to see but you can see that they care about her and she cares about them too and I love it.

Her snake form was very cool and had a creative design, though that whole arc of trying to find her and then her being brainwashed was pointless filler, such a waste of time. How she out of no where mastered her turning from human to snake at will was so random. The whole brainwashed Karai arc in general didn't need to happened!

I feel I'm obligated to talk about it, but Karai's biggest flaw, as well as it being TMNT 2012's worst quality, was her relationship with Leo. What were they thinking with that shit?! If they wanted Leo to have a crush on the enemy that's fine! That can be good drama, but why then throw in the twist that his crush is also his sister and continue to push a romance between them in the same episode when they are acknowledged as being family?!! Such wasted potential for them to just be enemies who respect one another that grows into a friendly rivalry that becomes two siblings looking out for one another, but still like to get on each other's nerves. Beside that mess, her and Leo do have a fun and good dynamic, when it isn't being ruined with forced uncomfortable romance. I also wanna add I like her dynamic with April and parallels between the two girls. Overall, I like Karai, but she could've been better.

Irma/Rook

I'm adding "Irma" to the list cause she counted as a character for a short while before the twist and she did technically come back in season 4. I liked Irma, she was funny, quirky, and her dynamic with April and Casey was fun to watch. I liked her banter with Casey, it always made me laugh. I'm honestly still disappointed that it was revealed Irma was not even Irma but was just a robot controlled by Kraang Sub Prime. All that hope to see Irma befriend the Turtles was destroy for me.

I am glad they were able to find a way to bring back Irma in the form of the Utrom Rook in season 4. She had little screen time but she always stuck out to me for some reason. Also, wasted potential of not having April meet Rook and for her to have a heart to heart with her about the friend lost because Rook looks like her old best friend.

I actually did a whole rewrite of how I would've handle the Irma is robot twist and still keep her as a character: LINK.

Renet Tilley

I love her so much! She's funny, entertaining and a total sweetheart. I love how she's a very bubbly and overall kind person but isn't afraid to punch someone right in the face. I like how she's perceived as dumb and naïve but is actually very smart and is usually the one saving the Turtle's from certain doom. I also love the little detail of her having a gap in her teeth. Really brings out the childish nature to her character. My favorite part about Renet is how much of a fangirl she is, literally representing the entire TMNT fandom. From first meeting them Renet has so much faith and trust in the Turtles because of what she's read about them in her history books. They are her heroes, she believes in them and knows in the end they'll save the day. The very concept of the Turtles befriend a time traveler from the future was another thing that was underused and could've open the door to so many cool new stories and adventures, but like many characters, she was underused and only came back when need, like for a Halloween special of all things. I'm really surprised Mikey or any of the Turtles didn’t mentioned her after the Earth was destroyed by the Black Hole Generation, remembering what she told them about how they've saved the world so many times.

I know some people find controversy with her romantic relationship with Mikey nowadays because of them both being from different time periods, but I still find their dynamic very sweet and entertaining to watch. As best friends or as romantic partners, you got to admit that they are fun to see together. She understands Mikey and never judges him for his weird antics/ideas and Mikey finds her quirkiness adoring and always makes sure she is safe.

A little nitpick I have is with her character design, mainly when we see her without her helmet. Her hair model design doesn't look good, like it looks like she's wearing a wig that they just slapped on her at the last minute. Which sucks cause in her concept sketches her hair looks very good, with having a more proper hair line, but since the braid crown is playing as her hairline in the 3D model it doesn't look good.

Also, technically Renet is the most powerful ally the Turtles have because of her weapon alone. Why does no one talk about that?? The Turtles are lucky that Renet is on their side.

Mona Lisa/Y'gythgba

SHE IS MY QUEEN AND I LOVE HER SO MUCH!! <3

Next to April, Mona Lisa also gets a lot of unnecessary hate, but I know why she gets hate. It those toxic whiney Raphael fangirls who can't accept the fact that he's fictional and is happy with an actual girlfriend so now they can't have him or ship him with their self insert Mary Sue OCs. A true Raphael fangirl, like myself, would be happy for Raph that he found someone who loves and respects him for who he is.

It's already obvious that Mona was another underused character in this series. I absolutely LOVE the space arc in season 4, but the concept of the Salamandrians, though cool, were very underused despite the Turtles fighting a Salamandiran before (Newtrailzer). If you ask me, Mona and Sal should've been more present during the space arc and they should've been there helping the Turtles when they were fighting the Triceratons on Earth at the end of the arc. This choice could've given the writer's the opening for Mona to start living on Earth sooner and join the Mighty Mutanimals during mid season 4 instead of saying she joined the Mutanimals in season 5 but never see her with them! (I'm still so mad that they got our hopes up that we'd see Mona interact/become friends with the Mutanimals only to find out that we will never see her again after When Worlds Collide) I have actually wrote a whole post on how I would've included Mona in more episodes, give her more time in the spotlight and her joining the Mutanimals sooner: LINK.

Mona being a lieutenant for the Salamandiran army already says a lot about who she is and what she has been through. You cannot tell me that this woman as killed people and has war trauma! Mona is an interesting character and her personality clashes well with Raph's, even before they became a couple, them butting heads shows what kind of person Mona is. She can be short tempered and stubborn like him and would often jump to conclusions, a fight first ask question later kind of gal. She loves to fight and is a very strong and skilled warrior. She is loyal to those she looks up to and respects like her commander and is a rule follower, but sometimes she loses control of herself and steps out of line, to which her commander has to hold her back. She cares deeply about the ones she's close to and especially shows how much she loves and cares for Raph. Most fans result her to just being a love interest, but she's still her own character and grows as a person from being with Raph. Honestly the push up scene was one of her highlights, not only for being hilarious and showing how in love she is with Raph, but also showing that she's more than a strict serious lieutenant. That scene reminds us that she's still a teenager and is acting her age, even she can't help but break her serious military persona once in a while.

I absolutely adore her and I'm so happy more fans today are growing to love her as much as I do! She's such a great character and its ashamed that we didn't get to see more of her in the show, but I'm happy with what I got.

Shinigami

My only criticism I have of her is that she is underused (I know I say that a lot) and I really dislike that she was forced shipped with Mikey. It was the most pointless decision they did for her character. You can just tell the writer's didn't know what to do with her so the made her a love interest as well thinking that would make her more interesting. That was a dumb decision. Her and Mikey are not a good match for many reasons I won't get into, but here's what they should've done:

Not ship her with anyone cause we already had enough love interests by the time she entered the show.

Ship her with Leo instead of making him crush on his freaking sister. They already wanted him to have a crush on a female ninja from the Foot Clan who's a bad girl, why couldn't they hold it off until he met Shini instead of Karai?

Ship her with Casey as a way to give Casey a happy ending after that whole love triangle drama.

Ship her with Karai cause they were obviously already dating in the show! Shinirai forever!!

Regardless of that poor decision, I love Shini, her design is very gorgeous and creative, and her concept of being a witch brings something new to the series with magic and illusions. I feel there has been wasted potential with her not being involved during the Kavaxas arc, cause come on, she's a witch who specializes in dark magic. Why didn't they have her be attached to the Kavaxas cult in some way? Or have her know about Kavaxas and help the team stop him? Honestly I was convinced at one point that Shini was going to be a surprise villain and she was secretly loyal to Shredder not Karai and betray her during the finale. I made a whole post about it actually LINK.

Overall, I love Shinigami! Next to Mona Lisa she is one of my favorite female characters. I love seeing her teasing April and the others, especially towards her enemies, treating a battle like its nothing more than a game to her. Her loyalty and romance friendship with Karai I adore. She is such a fun character and underrated too if you ask me.

Alopex

She stole the show and she was only in one episode! Once again, another underused female character. Alopex is technically (not counting April) the first female mutant on the show (not counting Karai cause she's able to turn back), and we only get one episode with her. That should be consider a crime, but the episode she was in, she made a damn good impression. We learn of her and Tiger Claw's tragic backstory and you grow to understand why she is so hatful towards her brother for the life he put her through and him supposedly killing their parents. She establishes herself as a badass and continues to prove she is a badass throughout the episode. The way she cut off her brother's tail and later is arm without a second thought and then leaves shows shows how ruthless she is, but her sparring him also shows her compassion and her hope that one day her and Tiger Claw can be a family again.

Her line "Just remember, I could have taken your life" sent chills down my spine when I first heard it.

My biggest complaint is WHY didn't they bring Alopex back during the Kavaxas arc in season 5?! How cool would it have been if the Turtles recruited and teamed up with Alopex to take down her brother!

[circecallen]

La doleur Exquise pt.5

summary: you go to the premiere of the film and you start to see Johnny in a different way

warning: none

word count: 1276

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 

- Do you think I could borrow the dress later? Calvin Klein is one of my favourite designers.

The call weirded me out, I'm not going to lie. I was getting ready for the afternoon when Amy called. We have barely spoken in class, but I’m not surprised she’s calling me now. The announcement of the movie premiere was made a while ago, and the whole town is excited that Winona is going. I don't want to draw attention to myself, as I would never have imagined that I could be invited to this kind of situation, and yet, in just a few hours, I'll be getting my hair and make-up done by several people, which is exciting and I'm curious to know what these kinds of galas are like.

- I'm not sure, you usually have to return them after the event, unless you buy them.

- Well, that's a shame - the voice on the phone sounds slightly disappointed but quickly regains interest -. Are there any famous actors? - They recently let people know who the main actors were. Until then, Winona hadn't been able to talk to anyone about who she was acting with, or what the film was about. Except for her parents and me, of course.

- You know I have no idea who's famous now, but apart from Johnny Depp, there's Michael Hall, Diane Wiest and Alan Arkin.

I'm so proud of myself. I remembered all the names.

-Oh, Jonny Depp. You know, I'd take the chance to hook up with him-

-He's with Mona? - the statement comes out in the form of a question out of disbelief.

- So what? You can't deny he's handsome as hell. I would be head over heels.

-Even if I liked him, he's with my best friend, I want what's best for her, not to make her miserable - I snort.

-What difference does it make? It's Johnny Depp. One shag, you're in the papers and you're the next big thing - I look at the phone. What an idiot. I hang up without saying goodbye.

                                        ⋆ ⋆ ⋆

I follow the rest of the actors as they turn away from the cameras and flashbulbs and head for a door. I keep taking in the surroundings, the crowds of people milling around, the screaming fans and the journalists asking questions that go unanswered when a man stops me.

- Just actors.

- I'm in the film.

- Lead actors only.

The man gives me a disdainful look and I can't help but be annoyed by his stare. I look over his shoulder and see how the rest of my friends have passed.

- Please step out of here.

- Where am I supposed to go? I've been invited to the premiere- he smiles haughtily as if I'm trying to sneak in and he's caught me.

- Please don't make the situation complicated- I guess his intentions, but I don't react quickly enough and he grabs my arm roughly.

- Don't touch me - it comes out more rudely than I'd like, but he's starting to get on my nerves.

-Is there a problem? - I recognise the smell of citrus and woody notes. Johnny steps between us-. She's coming with us- he adds, staring at the way he's grabbing me. I pull away, glaring angrily at the security guard. Moron. He pretends to apologise but I can tell from the look on his face that he couldn't care less.

- I wasn't informed, I apologise - and stepping aside, he goes on to stop anyone without an invitation.

- Are you all right? - asks Johnny.

-What do you care? - I know he's not to blame for what just occurred, but I'm still upset about what just happened and how the man treated me. Before he can say anything else, I walk through the door they didn't intend to let me through. Instead of following the various directional signs, I continue forward, getting as far away as possible.

A long staircase is all I find. I sigh. It'll have to do.

Grabbing the bottom of my dress, I climb them, until I reach the roof.

Stupid guard.

I reach the top of the building, the roof is a fascinating space offering a panoramic view of the city. The fresh air and light breeze cool my face, and I realise how hot my face is.

From here, I can look out over the vastness of Westwood. Houses and houses and a few blocks of multi-storey buildings, all lit up with lights. I can hear the hubbub below, the murmur of people and the hum of cars.

I want to go home. I shouldn't have come.

- So here you are.

I tense for a moment but as I turn around, I calm down.

- I thought you were that guard- I say, looking back at the starry night. If he makes a gesture, I don't see it -. What are you doing here anyways, don't you have to go to the premiere?

- It's just brunch now, the presentations aren't until later. I wanted to make sure you were okay- I feel Johnny's presence beside me.

- I'm fine, I just came here... to smoke - I lie. I don't even know what I'm doing here. I don't know why I haven't followed the rest of the cast. When I'm frustrated, I prefer to be alone, but this wasn't the time to behave like a little girl.

Johnny looks me in the eye, and I notice a mocking smile.

-To smoke?- I look back at him defiantly. Of course, there's not a lighter in my bag, but he doesn't need to know that. His smile widens and at this moment I realise that I'm challenging Johnny Depp. One of the most famous actors in the world. All the jokes, and comments, and out for a drink hit me and suddenly, I'm embarrassed to be standing next to him. I look back at the queue that has formed outside the theatre.

- Are you going to tell me to quit because it's not good for me?

- Oh no, I'm not the kind of person who tries to convince someone to give up their bad habits. Besides, that wouldn't be very convincing coming from me, would it? - I smile faintly without looking at him- Y/N, I know today has been a bit of a struggle, but I want you to know that you're doing a great job handling all of this. Don't let comments like that discourage you.

He places his hand on mine. The cold touch of the gravel where my hands were resting disappears at his warm touch. My gaze fixes on his hand. Maybe it's because I'm still shaken by the way the guard has spoken to me in contrast to Johnny's gentleness, but how I wish for once he would stop giving me friendly gestures and hug me.

I want to apologise for the way I treated him earlier, I want to tell him that I really don't smoke, that I feel out of place with them and that the scene with the guard was no big deal, but he pointed out that, indeed, this is not my place. I don’t tell him that.

- You know, that brunch you were telling me about, sounds delicious.

I back away from his hand and he smiles. And when he gestures for me to go first up the stairs, I smile back and can't help but feel guilty about seeing Johnny Depp through different eyes for the first time.

[birdstooth]

Drawing MASTERCLASS

lol jk thought I’d show some of the process here in case your other favs aren’t online and u have a couple of min to waste while waiting for the bus

🎵Down once more to the dungeon of my black despair🎶

On the left, u have janky first draft, and on the right, u have less janky second draft😅. Depending on how much time I spent on draft 2, I might do a final cleaner version, and then then add colours :)

My hard limit for a doodle/comic is 3 drafts for reasons that I will go into below, but basically I find that if I try too hard, it triggers the perfectionist demon and then it’s not fun anymore lmaoo

For me, 2-3 drafts is the balance between making something I can look at without cringing, and still have fun drawing lines and shapes.

Also it’s ok to have a very very, objectively bad first draft. My brain is like Swiss cheese so if I spend too long trying to get something down on (virtual) paper by making it look nice, half the idea floats away before I can make a record of it.

So first of all, since this is the unofficial website for ppl with crippling anxiety (roll call! 🙋‍♀️), just thought I’d say: if u are on the fence about posting your [content] online, go for it!!

I used to look at all this really cool [content] (art, writing, photography w/e) and be like “wow, that’s some good content! I’ve got a long ways to go before my content can reach that standard!”.

Or sometimes, I would see amazing content with very few notes and think “whoa, if this extremely accurate recreation of the Mona Lisa made with used gum found under park benches has only 12 notes, it’s not really worth posting what I have, right?”

But then at some point I decided that it was easier (for me) to make stuff that was vaguely funny instead of “good”, so I stopped trying to draw the perfect shapes with the perfect shading, etc. and just went with like, the minimum accuracy required for an object to be recognizable lol.

I’m not saying don’t chase your dreams or whatever, but try not to force yourself into a style or content type that doesn’t suit you. I have a short attention span and a zillion ideas, so for me, it’s actually much more satisfying to make these goofy little doodles bc I can do quick sketches between procrastinating at work, or while I’m watching my dinner rotate in the microwave 🥲.

When I was in my “every drawing must be perfect” phase, I would spend hours on making sure the proportions were realistic, and the lines were clean, and spend days or weeks in a single piece. Some people are suited to this kind of work and have the patience to see it through, but for me it was very unsatisfying and sapped my motivation so I decided to be realistic about my abilities + the time I have available to improve my skills (I think this is very important bc u might have the patience and the work ethic to practice, practice, practice until you are at the top of your game, but if you have a job or school or other obligations, it might not fit into your schedule) and do a kind of compromise.

Yeah, I’m still envious of other people’s content and no, I don’t think my content is the BEST I can do, but it’s a balance between doing what I like and getting satisfaction out of it. Sometimes, if you push yourself too hard, you end up hating what was supposed to be a hobby, u know?

[daja-the-hypnokitten]

Jukebox reviews part 13! For context, see my post “A Project”   under  this same tag. If you want to see a full list of his EMCSA   stories,  they can be found here, sorted alphabetically.And if you want to see some of his drabbles, check out his blog at @jukeboxemcsa

Can’t Buy Me Love

 date uploaded   date updated     Tags

1/16/2010                                     mc ff

This is another story that I have complicated feelings about. It's *technically* consensual, but only under duress. And, well, the last line... Elsie's husband deserves *better* from her, if indeed Marissa kept to her work about Elsie having her free will entirely back, which the reader has no reason to doubt. If she wants to return, she should just tell him that and not leave him wondering, doubting. If she loves him - if she *ever* loved him - then she needs to do the hard work to communicate with him.The actual control is ... subtle, and I wonder how much of the "blossoming" Marissa speaks of is Elsie's own desires, vs how much are the ring is pulling away her inhibitions and making her like it. Either way, the two likely feed into each other, but it's definitely more magical than I prefer again. I'd rather more of a view on inside of Elsie's head, rather than this distant narration, too. 5/10 spirals

  Don’t You Want Me

 date uploaded   date updated     Tags

1/30/2010                                     mc mf md hu

This story is a good reminder of why I tend not to like humiliation stories, even as it isn't as far into humiliation as many stories I've seen. Adam is coldly cruel in a way that turns me off super fast; it would have cost him *nothing* to tell her that she would serve him best by being a test subject for how long the Synaptic Recalibrator's effects last without continual reinforcement of his presence. Even if he knows, *she* doesn't know he knows. But it just never occurs to him - not even that upsetting her too much might make a scene that would draw attention he didn't want. That said, by humiliation tag stories this one isn't a bad one, just not my taste. Seeing the process of the Synaptic Rcalibratior was fun, at least. 5/10 spirals

  Black Velvet

 date uploaded   date updated     Tags

2/6/2010                                       mc ff

Ah, this story is such an interesting contrast to "One Way or Another" even though they both have a similar mind controlling character - the fortune teller as hypnotist. I like this one much more, even if Mona is a little - or a lot - over the line into questionable ethics here. Ah well, Alma Mae doesn't seem to mind none, and it doesn't feel like Mona conditioned her then, in any way that would have made Alma Mae change her opinion on what Mona did anyway. I do wish we could see the surprise that Mona has, though I have a guess that it's a certain art teacher - I hope it is, anyway. 7/10 spirals

  Heat of the Moment

 date uploaded   date updated     Tags

2/13/2010                                     mc mf ff

I adore the dynamic between Margo and Tom at the start of this story. The clear love, the flirtation, but also the way Margo just *respects* that his job - his PASSION - will have him away from her, and she takes that in stride. She takes a lot of things in stride, as it happens, and I'm unsure if some of what she takes in stride is her own desire, just her being that sort of person, or the magic of the ring. I'm just glad that they so clearly love each other, regardless of everything that the ring causes.This story doesn't actually hit *any* of my erotic buttons, though. If you like magically compelled sex, folk just being overwhelmed with lust, it's likely more up your alley than mine, but that did nothing for me. So 6/10 spirals on the strength of the characters alone.

  Small Town

 date uploaded   date updated     Tags

2/20/2010                                     mc ff

Huh, I didn't realize that places down south still had supper clubs! I thought those were mostly only found in Wisconsin and thereabouts these days! But also, clearly Willow hasn't learned that it's the quiet, often shy ones who sometimes have the kinkiest streaks. Hell, *I* still blush at some overt sex things, and I used to help run a kink con! I enjoy the induction here, the lingering on the word "obey" - such a very good word! - and I just like it, even with it being super unethical in so many ways. 7/10 spirals.

  The Final Countdown

 date uploaded   date updated     Tags

2/27/2010                                     mc mf md

... I can't enjoy a story that has someone so simply begging to be left alone, begging for her ability to just *be.* If you enjoy the darker side of hypnotic control (which doesn't even work like this but whatever), you'll likely enjoy this, but I can't. Her terror feels too real to me. 0/10 spirals.

  My Best Friend’s Girl

 date uploaded   date updated     Tags

3/6/2010                                       mc ff

On the one hand, I *really* don't like serial recruitment stories. And this one is a serial recruitment story, mostly. But it's sufficiently not a main focus that I'm happy enough to overlook it. And robots also aren't really A Thing for me. HOWEVER. Girls(tm) have hypnotic eyes. And I *am* a fan of hypnotic, enthralling eyes that just capture someone's focus and inevitably draw them into trance, leaving them open and suggestible and controlled. And the strawberry-scented lube entertain me rather a lot, because I have a story about hypnotic strawberries of my own. So I have more of a soft spot for the Girls(tm) than I would otherwise. And this story really highlights that trait about them, which means it hits a number of my buttons it might not have otherwise. 8/10 spirals.

  Unforgettable

 date uploaded   date updated     Tags

3/13/2010                                     mc ff

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is a wonderful example of the law of unintenteded consequences, and why checking in with partners after play is a *really good idea.* Thankfully, it looks like things will work out for Ursula and Chandra, but so much of Ursula's stress that happened off camera could have been avoided if Chandra had just checked in and owned up to being a bit ... impulsive. That all aside, I really like this story. Yeah, Chandra crossed a BUNCH of lines, but since Ursula isn't upset by it, mostly, it's easy for me to overlook that and just appreciate how good of a hypnotist she is. The moment everything clicks, and Ursula remembers.. it's a really good moment, and I love seeing how she responds. 9/10 spirals

  Hot Blooded

 date uploaded   date updated     Tags

3/20/2010                                     mc mf md ma

Diane and Jack! And Kiki! Yay! I do hope Traci was given a sense of what to expect, because gosh that would be a lot to walk in on if she didn't know what sorts of shenanigans Jack gets up to with Diane's subconscious help. I'll admit to being curious about what, exactly, the trigger is designed to do. Does it crank up Diane's arousal so that she's more likely to fantasize? Or does it make her fantasize, leading to her being aroused? Something else? I suppose it doesn't really matter, but it does make me wonder. But I always enjoy the shenanigans that these two get up to, with or without their friends being around, so it's no surprise that I enjoy this story too. 8/10 spirals.

  Don’t Speak

 date uploaded   date updated     Tags

3/28/2010                                     mc mf md

Given the site this story is posted on, this story ends the only way it possibly could. The control feels... forced, though. Maybe that's just because I would have demanded he stop tapping, too, were I in Lori's position, as the noise would drive me up a wall. So just that moment, that Lori doesn't think anything about Derek's continuing tapping, throws me out of the story a little. That's very much a me thing, of course, but still. Once I'm thrown out of it, it's harder to get back in due to the tone in play, so I overall like this less than I might have without my particular sensory quirks. But the way Derek gets in her head is still solid, and I have grown to adore a sense of surrender being inevitable, which helps balance that out a little. 5/10 spirals.

[frankhightower]

I stand with Rick Griffin (2)

"When I made the drawing of the baobabs I was carried beyond myself by the inspiring force of urgent necessity." —Antoine de Saint Exupéry, The Little Prince This is a protest drawing. It is protesting what I considered a great injustice: the removal of one of @@rickgriffin's artworks from FA. But more than the specific work, it's about what I considered a disproportionate action against an upstanding citizen of the FA "nation" Rick was deliberately trying to show that artwork can incorporate AI imagery without being completely, or even mostly, AI generated. In his case, he needed the glow of a city over the edge of a hill (which is a pain to draw as every artist knows I'm sure), and asked an AI to generate just that, while he drew the character, the path and vegetation on our side of the hill (i.e. the viewer's side), arguably the hill itself, and a vehicle for the character. I set out to create a similar image: where the AI just fills in some background element, but more than the remaining 60% is definitely hand-crafted original. Rick Griffin's point was clear: this is no different than using a photo and painting over it. My point (I hope) was clear: this is no different than putting the Mona Lisa in the background. But to be fair, it is different: when using a photo, you have to make sure you have the rights, or you have to go out and snap it yourself, pick the right angle, time of day, etc. When using a famous painting, it's an homage; advertising for the artist if you will. Using AI tools remove these mechanisms because there's no way –barring a future court order to make the AI "explainable"– to know who the original author/s are/were. Not that we knew that at the time; the press examples suggested that, when the AI built a house, it would base each wall on a different artist, the window frames from a fifth artist and the window panes from a sixth artist, whichever most suited the prompt, which lent credence to the argument the AI was learning to draw "like humans" do and picking a style from what it "liked" best. However, experience has demonstrated that, when possible, the AI will clone the whole house and at most do a palette swap To further my point, I used all the "tricks" I could think of in the creation of this image: I used vectors to fill even though I wasn't in a vector program, I took the wood texture out of Microsoft Office's texture library and deformed it using 3d transform tools, I downloaded the curtains from a royalty-free stock image website, and I probably would've used a custom brush for the fur if I had one already customized. I did not, however, use gradients or blur tools to shade because I really wanted to emphasize that ">60% hand made" quality. Several interesting things happened in the process. First, the slog of trying several prompts to get the image I wanted. It just so happened that I knew the image I wanted: something like this but grander, more sprawling. I never input the artist's name into the prompt, though, nor described that particular scene; I wanted the AI generic, bland style, but I came to the conclusion that AI "tools" are precisely for people who don't know what they want, not because they're indecisive, but because they just don't know a lot of artists. Second, I got a commission (hasn't been posted anywhere yet) where I had to draw a sprawling city, and discovered that, even when trying to make buildings the most snow-clone possible, there's still a lot of work and thought and effort that goes into each one of those little boxes, which in turn can make it fun, which brings to mind the argument that people who use AI art generation miss the "point" of making art. I have not (let me say that again: I have not) included the AI-generated portion in this image for considering it in bad taste now, but you can still go see the original, (which even has a time-lapse!)

Posted using PostyBirb

[kazueezuki]

about me（^人^）

intro: kazue, he/she. | birthday: sept. 10

languages: english, french, vietnamese, japanese (a bit rusty, i can speak and understand it at a survival level)

more: introvert, (digital) artist, voice actor amateur, aspiring photographer & cosplayer, video editor, genshin lore player and soundtrack enjoyer <3

genshin: started nov. ‘20 | ar 57

likes

anime: a lot but my faves include bsd, vnc, pandora hearts, link click, violet evergarden, hyouka, charlotte, tbhk, black butler

jpop/vocaloid; fav artists: tuyu, ¿?shimon, syudou, fuji kaze, trigger, zool, ado, vflower, kanaria, kenshi yonezu, yoh kamiyama, gakupo, ayase, deco*27

more: drawing, cleaning, listening to music, studying during nighttime, goofy ppl, scaramouche, sleeping (something i don’t get to do often bc of school </3)

dislikes

proshipping: please slay away from me

messy workspaces: yes, your room has to be organized and shiny, id gladly help u clean if you don’t mind

celery, brussels sprout, eggplant, pepper: was forced to eat these atrocities too many times in my life, never again.

society standards: they’re utterly messed up, i hate how most older generations still aren’t every open to changes and how judging people in society still are

games/fandoms/communities

games: genshin, sekai, tears of themis, enstars, obey me (left in 2021 tho), idolish7, hypnosismic, mahoyaku, crk, legend of zelda, paradox live

anime/manga: a lot.

streaming/content creators: tuonto, ant, dish, bwaap, atsu, sykkuno, shoto (vtuber), nijisanji, hololive (a tiny bit)

more: seiyuu industry, milgram (musical project)

genshin faves

monstadt: amber, venti, kaeya, mona, albedo, fischl, mika

liyue: xiao, beidou, hu tao, shenhe, ganyu

inazuma: i love them all sm but ayaka, ayato, kazuha, ei, yae, thoma, heizou, itto (we’re besties)

sumeru: its so hard to decide without naming the entire cast uegh; collei, cyno, candace, nahida, wanderer (scara)

npcs: teppei (yes), kazari (inazuma cleansing ritual), liben (gossip girly pop we stan), madame ping, nadia & vlad (fatui couple), ruu, chizuru (inazuma test of courage event), signora

fav character backstories (as a lore enjoyer)

the archons/gods: the entire thing about the archon war, fallen gods, celestia, primordial one, islaroth IS SO INTERESTING LIKE HELLO?? I CANT WAIT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IT

scaramouche & ei: of course, it’s all about misunderstanding and emotions but their lore is just so beautiful in some way

kaeya: we still don’t know much about his background as a character from khaenriah but I’m so excited to discover more about him, especially what he was sent to mondstadt for

dainsleif: my memory’s fuzzy since it’s been a while since I’ve last seen him in-game, but i do want to know more about literally just the entirety of khaenriah, the art of khemia, its location and so on, he’s such a key character in khaenriah lore

the twin siblings: what exactly happened after their separation as they got interrupted by the unknown god? what is the “truth of the world” that the traveler’s sibling discovered and how did that end up with them being the abyss order’s leader? there’s so many questions surrounding the background of the twins that make them all the more intriguing

there may have been a few errors in my interpretations here, but i haven’t been playing genshin as much as i used to and my lore knowledge is starting to erode as well, i’ll do my best to catch up <3

december 25, 2022

[seahymns]

❝   alright,  can  we  just  agree  to  disagree  and  leave  this  for  all  the  art  critics  in  the  world  to  fight  over?   ❞   the  blond  sighs  in  defeat,  refraining  from  rolling  his  eyes  at  how  persistent  she  can  be.  he  doesn’t  want  to  fight  with  her,  but  he  can  be  stubborn,  too.  he  refuses  to  admit  she’s  right,  even  though  she  is,  just  because.   ❝   is  that  what  your  imagination  is  for?  do  you  often  think  of  naked  people,  rose?   ❞   he  teases,  a  lopsided  grin  blooming  on  his  lips.  he  wants  to  humor  her,  make  all  the  tension  between  them  evaporate.  he’ll  worry  about  his  hobby  later  —  maybe  he’ll  even  listen  to  her  and  use  his  imagination  from  now  on  or…  maybe  he  could  start  painting  landscapes  after  all…  he  doesn’t  want  to  keep  being  selfish  and  ignorant  of  his  girlfriend’s  feelings.   ❝   oh,  so  that’s  what’s  truly  bothering  my  best  girl.   ❞   this  time  he  does  roll  his  eyes  and  then  looks  at  the  redhead  with  a  hint  of  sympathy  because  it’s  ridiculous,  but  also  kind  of  hilarious.  has  she  seen  herself  in  the  mirror  lately?  not  even  mona  lisa  with  her  mysterious  smile  or  venus  with  her  curves  could  compete…  he  pulls  her  into  a  hug,  his  chin  resting  on  top  of  her  head.   ❝   you’ve  been  my  greatest  muse  since  the  minute  i  laid  eyes  on  you,  rose.  there’s  a  reason  why  i  have  an  entire  drawer  filled  with  sketches  of  you  doing  all  kinds  of  things,  putting  on  makeup,  curling  your  hair,  cooking,  baking,  sleeping,  reading  books,  painting  your  nails,  looking  out  the  window…  and  why  i  never  show  you  these  drawings?  not  even  leonardo  da  vinci  could  do  your  beauty  justice,  and  i’m  no  da  vinci.  i’d  just  embarrass  myself.   ❞   as  if  to  prove  that  he’s  not  making  this  up,  he  walks  over  to  the  overturned  desk,  pulls  the  top  drawer  all  the  way  open  and  collects  what  looks  like  a  hundred  sheets  of  paper.  he  carefully  hands  them  to  her,  his  precious  possessions,  and  swallows  audibly.  his  cheeks  rosy  even  though  he’s  long  outgrown  the  phase  of  caring  who  sees  his  art  and  what  they  think  of  it.  he  cares  what  she  thinks,  though.  always  has.   ❝   those  girls  can’t  compete  with  you.  you’re  my  favorite  muse.  my  only  muse.  we’ll  find  a  different  name  for  them,  just…  let’s  not  call  them  whores,  okay?  let’s  settle  on  clients.  that’s  who  they  are.   ❞   because  they  don’t  really  inspire  him  to  create.  she  does.

jack  has  to  take  a  deep  breath,  then  another  one  and  another.  his  own  lower  lip  juts  out  and  begins  to  tremble,  the  tip  of  his  nose  tingling  as  the  little  boy  who  still  lives  in  him  and  idolizes  his  late  mother  mourns  this  loss.  he  could  scream  at  the  top  of  his  lungs  or  bawl  his  eyes  out,  make  his  girlfriend  feel  even  worse,  but  what  would  that  change?  would  it  magically  restore  his  mother’s  drawing  to  how  it  was  before?  no.  he  knows  that  she  didn’t  mean  to  do  it,  that  she  thought  she  was  destroying  works  that  have  no  sentimental  value  to  him.  this  whole  thing  had  been  bothering  her  for  such  a  long  time…  he  brought  this  upon  himself,  which  really  makes  them  partners  in  crime.  he  —  the  enabler.  she  —  the  doer.  and  so  he  only  holds  her  close  to  him,  refuses  to  let  go.   ❝   look,  rose…  it  was  an  accident.  accidents  happen.  you’re  not  despicable.   ❞   hot-headed,  though?  and  impulsive?  he  couldn’t  argue  with  that.   ❝   it  could  have  happened  to  me,  you  know?  i  could  have  spilled  coffee  all  over  it  or  something.  it  actually  happened  to  me  when  i  was  a  kid.  and  it’s…  it’s  not  the  end  of  the  world,   ❞   he  assures,  even  though  the  words  don’t  come  easy  to  him.  but  it  really  isn’t.  he’s  sure  that  his  mother  would  be  very  upset  and  disappointed  with  him  if  he  made  the  love  of  his  life  feel  horrible  because  of  some  drawing,  even  if  the  said  drawing  was  the  most  precious  of  all  drawings.  he  can’t  stand  the  sight  of  rose  like  this,  so  devastated  and  hurt,  so  full  of  regret  and  guilt.  he  kisses  the  top  of  her  head  and  whispers  in  her  hair,   ❝   come  on.  hug  me,  rose.  let’s  fix  this  mess.   ❞   she’s  apologized,  what  else  is  she  supposed  to  do?  kneel  in  rice  and  beg  for  forgiveness?   ❝   when  i  was  little,  i  ruined  one  of  my  mom’s  paintings  myself.  i  remember  it  so  vividly  because  she’d  been  working  on  it  for  quite  some  time  and  then  she  put  it  on  the  floor  and  left  it  there  to  dry.  long  story  short,  i  tripped  and  spilled  the  entire  cup  of  chocolate  milk  all  over  it.  and  you  know  what  she  told  me  when  she  saw  the  mess?  she  just  hugged  me  and  said  that  it  was  nothing,  that  it  was  still  beautiful  just  in  a  different  way,  that  the  greatest  creations  are  often  made  by  accident…  if  she  was  here  today,  she  would  probably  be  laughing  and  saying  how  it  looks  more  unique  now,  how  it’s  surely  more  difficult  to  plagiarize  or  something,  and  she’d  also  be  so  disappointed  if  she  knew  she  raised  an  insensitive  asshole  who  makes  his  girlfriend  feel  bad.   ❞   he  shakes  his  head,  pulling  slightly  back  to  look  at  her  with  a  small,  reassuring  smile.  he  loves  her.  he  forgives  her.

"still,  i  believe  the  mona  lisa  sticks  out  the  most  and  she's  not  naked."  rose  reiterates,  even  if  she's  listening  to  everything  he's  saying  and  knows  everything  he's  saying  since  she  always  was  into  art  and  collected  pieces  before  she  lost  all  of  that.  "or  you  could  always  draw  it  on  your  own.  isn't  that  what  imagination  is  for?"  she  wonders,  thinking  he  could  easily  come  up  with  different  faces,  body  types  and  hair  styles  on  his  own.  SHE  would  think  that  would  make  it  even  more  unique,  coming  up  with  it  all  on  his  own  rather  than  the  easy  route  with  a  model  to  go  by  right  in  front  of  him.  "and  you  called  them  your  muses..."  she  quietly  gripes  and  pouts,  eyes  staring  at  the  floor  because  it  doesn't  make  her  feel  special  even  if  she  feels  silly  for  admittedly  being  jealous  she  isn't  apparently  his  one  and  only  muse.  "what  do  you  mean?"  her  attention  suddenly  perks  up,  brows  starting  to  crease  then   features  drop  in  worry,   going  pale. 

"you  mean...  that's  the  one  i  ruined?  i  ruined  your  mothers  last  piece  of  art,  jack."  she  blurts  in  horror,  then  has  to  accept  that's  obviously  what  he  is  saying.  "no,  that's  horrible,"  she  shakes  her  head,  part  of  her  wanting  to  stay  in  denial  to  it  as  her  eyes  fill  with  guilt  and  it  makes  her  heart  twist.  "i'm  very...  HORRIBLY  sorry.  i'm  despicable  for  that."  she  takes  his  hand  off  her  cheek  because  she  doesn't  deserve  it.  "i  can't  believe  i  destroyed  your  mother's  gift  to  you.  you'll  never  retrieve  that.  it's  ruined  forever,  because  of  me..."  she  only  moves,  shuffling  forward  when  he  makes  her,  and  hears  the  door  close  behind  her.  rose  drops  her  bag  and  the  knife  and  arms  are  held  at  her  sides,  she  doesn't  deserve  this  embrace.  "i'm  not.  they  probably  wouldn't  ruin  sacred  things  you  can  never  get  back."  she  shakes  her  head,  wondering  what  she  is  going  to  do  with  herself  and  this  guilt  that  gnaws  at  her  and  tears  at  her  as  her  arms  hang  at  her  sides  and  her  face  is  pressed  to  his  chest.  she  doesn't  even  know  how  to  respond  to  their  discussion  about  the  women  now,  she's  too  fixated  on  destroying  his  mother's  precious  art  work.  that  now  her  feelings  about  being  cheated  on  and  ignored  feel  trivial  compared  to  her  guilt  and  the  way  she's  must  made  him  feel  about  losing  such  a  special  thing  he  can  never  get  back.  how  is  she  even  supposed  to  live  with  herself?  her  chest  feels  like  it's  closing  in  on  her  and  she  finally  breaks  into  tears.

[dewphox]

I'm sobbing. Did u know u can just like, make ur OC a lil guy? Like a small, shaped lil person?? . Please take only one per person, they're mostly toilet trained but some may piss on ur bed on purpose. . At first I wanted to do these draw ur moots oc but badly but then I put too much effort in and winged it and they were gifted my patented sparkles.

And each got the shape of their fav teetl (if I got any wrong feel free to bully me and beat me up after school behind the gym*) as backdrop bc I'm soooo clever and talented and perfect. . *also tell me I still have it on separate layers and can switch it out easypeasy, only the best for my moots ❤️ . Deirdre - me Rin - @ginger-luya Yuki - @/papertrowel on Instagram Shoyo - @velvethua Mona - @pittysoares-art Robin - @ljollygoodday

[apompkwrites]

Hi, hello 👉👈

I really love the streamer AU and would like to request Albedo, Xiao, Tartaglia and Kaeya's reaction to reader's possible death theories

Just like the theories we have about them, I wonder how would they react to their favorite character possibly having a "bad ending" in the game

Like how Mona said that Kaeya's fate would catch him soon, or about Xiao's karmic thing

Sorry for bothering and thank you ✨

reader impact || fan theories

series masterlist characters: albedo, childe, kaeya, xiao genre: angst? is that what you would call this?? i don't know. summary: with so much backstory and lore, there are bound to be fan theories on the different characters in genshin. what happens when our streamers read some... unfortunate endings regarding you? notes: i normally don't look at theories... ugh mihoyo why. anyway, i made the written portions before the bullet points act as a theory fic or something similar to that :)

albedo -

"i have the utmost faith in you, traveler," you mutter as the star on your neck seems to crack. your neck begins to split apart and light pink light glows from underneath it. the cracks travel throughout your body.

your hands are pitch black and your upper arms are pink with a soft gradient connecting the two colors. you shake and tremble in what remained of your dragonspine camp. several chemicals and glass shards are scattered across the dirt floor.

"please. as my... former assistant. stop me."

albedo almost closed the tab right there.

the only thing stopping him is his chat, who is just freaking out about the fan theory comic sent to him.

the notebook on his desk, which still had a camera pointed at it, was filled with frustrated scribbles and illegible drawings.

he almost broke his pencil.

he just wants to leave.

he's been streaming his reaction to plenty of fan theories about genshin's universe, such as paimon's origins and possible endings for the other characters.

he thought that you would have fun happy theories.

no.

not at all.

remember when i said he would pretend nothing bad is happening to you during his first meeting?

yeah, he held that denial until now.

now he's forced to confront the (very possible) idea that you will be a boss he'll have to fight later.

he absolutely loves the person who made the art.

he absolutely hates that this idea is the only thing he'll think about for... at least half a year.

childe -

"this... this is it for me, huh?" you heave, your body sprawled out on the bloodied grass and dirt. your weapon has long been abandoned, tossed to the side like trash. "you... fought valiantly as always, sweetheart. i'm... i'm proud of you."

it wasn't supposed to end like this. you were never supposed to die here, surrounded by the remnants of your enemies and comrades. you were supposed to go home.

to your family. introduce them to the otherworldly traveler you lovingly dubbed sweetheart.

"ah, i broke my promise, didn't i?" you hum, staring up at the sky through half-lidded eyes. "i told you i would introduce you to my family. my siblings would have loved you... i guess i'll be thrown on the ice for breaking it, won't i?"

he can and will ugly cry at this theory.

he doesn't even care he's caught on stream crying.

it just hits too close to home, especially as a big brother himself.

he'd call his siblings into his streaming room.

and once they come inside?

he'll hug them.

and hold them.

he'll promise to you that if that day ever did come in the game, he'd find a way to get to your siblings and meet them.

it doesn't matter if the game doesn't let him.

he'll either find it on his own in-game (which would probably grant him an achievement) or commission someone to make fanart/write a fic about this encounter.

and until then, he'll make sure to treasure you in his party.

kaeya -

"this soon, huh?" you chuckle dryly. your brows are furrowed as you stand alone. you knew this day would come. why wouldn't it?

fate was always cruel like that. coming to mondstadt for your people then growing close to the outsiders there. it was always cruel. it didn't matter if you were good or bad, fate always had a plan for you.

"what should i do?" you mutter, seemingly weighing your options in your hands. "take revenge for my people... abandon them for a new home... what would be the best choice?"

there wasn't one. and you knew that all too well. you knew you had to make a choice or else the universe would make it for you.

and if you left it up to chance... neither home you had grown with would survive.

can we go back to the simpler times, please?

all he wants is to go back to the beginning of the game when he was oh so naive.

he wanted to boot up the game again and just flirt with you until he passes on.

this theory... will actually be the death of him.

thinking you'll be forced to choose the future of mondstadt, or even teyvat, is an idea he wants to abandon entirely.

he wants to give you a glass of your favorite drink and get wasted until the sun comes up.

he takes this as a personal attack and will refuse to believe it.

but sometimes he does.

and when that happens, it's time for a drink.

just like you.

he'll join you in drinking your sorrows away for all eternity.

xiao -

"it's been years since i last heard the song of the dihua flute," you growl, clutching onto your cracking mask. the object is permanently stuck to your face. the only way to see your strained face was to look closely at the cracks, which allow a sliver of your skin to escape.

it's been a millennium or so since you started protecting liyue in secret. it's been a millennium or so since you started carrying the heavy burden of karmic debt on your shoulders.

"i have promised you that i would strike you down if you were ever taken by the darkness," you comment as your body involuntarily grabs your weapon. "i only wish for you to do the same for me. allow me... to peacefully... join their ranks."

he hates how probable this is.

and he hates how he actually believes this will happen.

he doesn't want to.

but there's too much evidence pointing to it.

all of your lore and the patterns the other yakshas followed...

he'll end the stream right there because he is not dealing with all of these emotions in front of a bunch of people.

he doesn't need that right now.

what will he do when he ends the stream?

probably contemplate everything he's known until this point.

and then look for fan content about you.

happy fan content.

he's the type of person to read fanfics about you.

be it reader insert or just general stories, he'll read it.

he just wants to think about you having happy endings :)

please, he's desperate for some fluff.

[shirecorn]

how about 17 and 24? what inspires you and how do you deal with art block?

Long post warning.

Art block...

I don't actually get art block, which is probably a combination of neurodivergence and drawing every day for the last 3 years

I wrote an entire tutorial about how to do that, but didn't feel like illustrating it. Would people want to read it even without visuals?

Maybe... I'll just start rambling.

There's a couple different types of art block, and it's really just a philosophy puzzle to get past them. I'm going to assume that the things I think of slow days, or art mud, is a milder form of art block and work through that.

Art block is a symptom, not a disease. You probably have something deep inside that you don't want to face, or don't know how. Sometimes you need to discover the cause, sometimes just power through.

Method 1: Rest

Let yourself just Exist. The act of consuming art is part of the process. Watching shows and playing games, taking a break and going gardening or focus on school. This is what you need for burnout-induced art block.

Method 2: Action

I always choose action, sometimes it means a tiny 2 min sketch per day. Ugly or super simplified. As long as I don't stop moving.

Toss everything. Start every piece thinking you will throw it away.

The act of drawing moves you forward; pinning it to the fridge does not. Don't work things until they are perfect. Work them until they are there.

Art block causes and solutions:

- No Inspiration

Not sure what to draw, nothing seems appealing. Art won't come out like it used to.

Do studies from life or photos. Sketch, paint, digital, traditional, doesn't matter. Rocks, fruit, figure drawing, landscapes, buildings, anything.

Study and copy professional's work. Old masters are best, like rubens, michalangelo (only his men tho) etc because they will teach you anatomy while you work. If you copy someone with a lot of flaws, you will repeat those flaws.

Trace to learn, not to earn. Trace photography and art from anyone you want. Don't post it unless you have the artist's permission or they are dead, whichever comes first. This is strictly work for yourself, on yourself. It's not about the finished drawing.

Find an artist with a fun style and try converting stuff into their style. Don't make that your new style though and especially don't start selling it. Your style is a chimera of everyone you love, not a clone of one person.

Take blurry photos. You don't need a fancy camera or good skills or beautiful subjects. Doing studies from your own photos can spark life into your workflow.

Make challenges for yourself. Randomly generate things to combine. Try fusing characters! Don't try to make it look good, just be fun.

Doodle patterns, swirls, lines, random stuff. Try looking up art warmups and doing some of those.

- Everything Sucks

You finally see how bad you are. Or somehow you got worse. Every piece is a fight and you spend hours trying to get something right only for it to be stiff and disgusting and STILL wrong.

Why are you trying to draw good? It's enough just to draw.

Accept that your art is bad. Every artist can see flaws in their work. Your problem is that those flaws outweigh anything remotely worthwhile and hurt to look at.

So what? You're in a period of growth, not a period of production. Keep that wonky second eye. Let them have hot dog fingers.

Show everyone! Show no one! No piece of art can ever be a reflection of the artist. Not their worth, not their skill. The only thing your art says about you is "Held and moved a pen for a bit."

Make bad art. It's ok. Most of the time, the pressure to perform and get things Right is what made them wrong in the first place. Relax.

- No Motivation

The #1 killer of artists everywhere. On some level you think you should draw, on every other level you think you should stay in bed.

You are not lazy. You wouldn't have read this far in a post about art block if you were lazy. You wouldn't CALL it art block if you were lazy. Laziness is wishing you didn't have to do anything. A block is wishing you were doing something. If you think you can namecall Yourself into productivity again, you're wrong and You need to unionize so that you don't treat You like that anymore.

Consider Mental Illness. Losing interest in something that brought you joy can be a symptom of depression. I know it seems obvious, but if you're waiting for a sign that it's "bad enough," it's bad enough. Seek care if you have the means. Forgive yourself if you already know this.

Selfcare. Examine yourself for neglect. Nutrition, exercise, enrichment, social need, and sleep are all part of the art process. Eat three meals and sleep 8 hours. That's your gaymer fuel. You deserve it, I promise. Depriving yourself of your needs will make your blocks worse, not kick you into making them better.

Identify potholes. Sketchbook falling apart? Tablet cord frayed? Half your pencils missing? Chair uncomfortable? Desk hard to reach? There's a lot of things that you tell yourself to work around and get over. Just because you CAN workaround something, doesn't mean you SHOULD. A difficult work environment can cause secret dread deep inside that you don't recognize and just think you're lazy. What you think of as "no motivation" might actually be "I don't want to deal with my tablet disconnecting every time I move it wrong and I have to wiggle it for a few seconds to make it work again." These little things are like potholes in the road. Sure you CAN still drive through them, but eventually you're going to look up and realize you haven't voluntarily left the house in weeks.

Repair potholes and roadblocks. You might feel bad about buying a new pencil, headphones, tablet, car, etc because technically the old one works if you hustle. But if you're running into so many potholes you've ground to a halt, it doesn't Actually work anymore, does it? Invest, save up, request, and require working equipment and suitable conditions. This stuff isn't just cushy privilege, it's an investment in yourself and your art. You are worth the effort it takes to clear the way. If you can't afford reliable (reliable! not perfect or luxurious) equipment, then say it. If cardboard is all you can afford, draw on cardboard. But know that you deserve canvas, and one day you might be able to make the jump. Acknowledge that sometimes, if you don't have it in you to smear burned twigs on wet cardboard, the problem isn't motivation, but opportunity.

- Haven't Drawn in So Long

A unique type of art block that self perpetuates. The thought of starting again is so stressful you can't do it. Or maybe you'll do it tomorrow. Yeah. Tomorrow for sure.

Face your fears. Are you ashamed of your lack of drawing? Are you anthropomorphizing your paper and thinking it's going to judge you, like "oh NOW you come back >:/" I internalize voices I hear and project them onto other people, concepts, locations, and inanimate objects. Your paper, computer, WIPs folder.... none of that is judging you.

Reframe your WIPs. Do you feel shame when you see "unfinished" projects? Why? Who says you MUST bring everything you start to Finish? You don't have to. A sketch is a finished art piece; it's called a sketch! If a sketch is a fully realized creation, pages that are half colored, 75% lined, or partially rendered are all fully realized creations too. Unless paid otherwise, art is done when you're done working on it.

Lower the stakes. Draw a chibi or grab some crayons. Get messy and slowly ease yourself back into the flow over the course of a couple days. It's fine.

Get a buddy! Find an art meme, do an art trade, get a study subject, or just wing it. Drawing art alongside someone can help you get past that block.

Pretend you never stopped. Don't think about the gap, how long it's been, or rustiness. As far as anyone knows, you drew the mona lisa yesterday and didn't break a sweat. Today, you drew a starfish on your hand with a gel pen. Keep up that streak, good job!

Just keep drawing. Make a goal to do one sucky drawing per day on the back of a napkin. Don't make up for missed days, just pretend they didn't happen. Who's going to judge you? The calendar? That's pieces of paper; it doesn't have an opinion. Draw a cat on it. Done. Keeping up the momentum is a great way to prevent art blocks in the future.

TLDR: Draw imperfectly and toss it. Selfcare is king. Draw often and don't judge yourself.

Art is a process, not a product.

[bluemoonfantasiesiii]

Rhinesons AU

Because I’m likely going to be making more content for this AU in the coming however long, I figured I’d compile a sort of master post for it.

Basic Premise

After the events of Shadows Amidst Snowstorms, Albedo decides that he will no longer carelessly kill off his Master’s other creations and instead decides to see if he can reconcile with Subject Two and come up with a solution that benefits them both. Subject Two agrees to become Albedo’s older brother and is given the name Nigredo, since nigredo is the stage of alchemy that comes before albedo.

For the first few weeks, Albedo does his best to teach Nigredo how to blend in with humans to prepare him for his grand introduction to the people of Mondstadt. During this time, Nigredo changes up his appearance by wearing a black version of Albedo’s jacket. During a rather intense argument about Rhinedottir, a Cryo Vision appeared in Nigredo’s hand. After that, he switched out the yellows in his outfit for pale blues to match his new abilities.

He also decides to learn how to use a catalyst so he doesn’t have to rely on the same kind of weapon as his brother. I decided to do this because at the time of writing this, the game lacks both a male catalyst and a Cryo catalyst.

Nigredo’s personality

Nigredo still holds a lot of resentment for Rhinedottir not just because of what she did to him and Durin, but because he witnessed what she did to the people of Khaenri’ah. He fully blames her and her dangerous use of Khemia for the Cataclysm that destroyed their homeland and cursed their people to an eternity as monsters, and after spending some time with Albedo, he now realizes that she was even unkind to her “golden child” and abandoned him as well.

Aside from his bitterness, Nigredo has a rather outgoing and sociable personality, though he tends to bore of people rather quickly if he’s in their presence too often. He is mischievous and playful to a fault, though he still has a tendency to draw into himself when overwhelmed or confused. Having felt a sense of fulfillment creating the Fellflower, Nigredo found a passion for gardening and botanical alchemy, which he often uses to brew elixirs to help his brother, such as sleeping aids.

Having spent centuries broken down to his very atoms inside Durin’s stomach, Corruption now clings to every cell in Nigredo’s reformed body, making him unhinged and reckless in his studies. Albedo often has to reign him in to prevent him from performing an experiment that would cause grievous harm to himself, others, or the environment. While Albedo continues his research on “new birth,” Nigredo’s interest is piqued by the concept of “rebirth,” as he himself was reborn from nothing.

The Erdeprinz and Princeps Soli

It is said in alchemy that “from soil was birthed chalk.” And given Nigredo’s green thumb, the title of Soil Prince seemed fitting for him. At least, that’s how Albedo explained it when he bestowed the title upon his older brother. And as fate would have it, Mona informs the two that Nigredo’s constellation is called Princeps Soli.

Rubedo: The First Rebirth

Nigredo’s pursuit of rebirth initially stemmed from his desire to revive the Fellflower. While it would never be his apex achievement, the Fellflower holds sentimental value as his first creation. After some messing around with diluted dragon’s blood, Nigredo was able to successfully bring his child back to life and named him Rubedo, after the third stage of alchemy. When in his human form, Rubedo wears reds in place of Albedo’s yellows and Nigredo’s blues to fit his namesake, and he wears flowers in his hair. Rubedo is a very innocent and curious creature, not unlike a child, making him by far the easiest to tell apart out of the three. His favorite pastime is playing with Klee. Even without a Vision, Rubedo still has all the typical abilities of a Cryo whopper flower.

Shipping

When I make any ship content for this AU, the main ships I default to will be KaeBedo and DiGredo (Diluc/Nigredo). The reason for my pairing up Diluc and Nigredo is that they can easily bond over their past resentment toward their brothers. Of course, this doesn’t happen instantly as neither of them are exactly eager to get that close to other people, but when they do start to develop feelings for each other, their brothers zero in and do their best to get them to stop beating around the bush.

[xzturtles]

Things the fandom doesn't talk enough about #2

(I’ll do 10 points each part to keep it shorter)

1. Casey is the best example of "how bad the writers are at characters.”

He was one of the main character at some point..still...we know barley anything about him. How old is he?

16?

17? Who are his father and his little sister, what happened to his mother?

Why can't he be Leo's crush...I just want Leo to get a boyfriend or male crush that isn't a cartoon figure.... What is his backstory?

He had to 100% trouble with the police right?

Are his front teeth missing because of a hokey accident or because of a fight?

2. Speaking of mother....from the main cast (+ all teen girls) characters are the mothers either dead or never mention or presumably gone in any way.

April's and Karai's mother are dead, nobody knows what's with Casey's, Shini just left her family apparently..if she had one, Mona lived mostly with G'Throkka in space and Renet apparently lives either at her working place under the command of Lord Simultaneous or lives by Lord S and works at night.

(I have headcanon for Renet which I’ll post once I finished a drawing with her (mainly to finally start getting back into writing fanfiction after a 3 year break) and somewhat also with Shini & Mona but I’m not so far on these two)

Also...are any of Mona’s, Shini’s or Renet’s parents alive?

3. Speaking of Renet...she has a dagger that she NEVER used once in all of her screen time...and apparently she’s left-handed (She’s using her left hand the majority of the time + she’s carries the dagger on her left leg on a position where she wouldn’t able to grab it and pull out quickly...I definitely didn’t spend half an hour analyze..so yeah, there’s a good chance that she’s left handed.)

Also what's up with the "You just have to wait until we meet again Michelangelo, in the future." this is one of the most terrible open story holes ever.

She hints a relationship between her and Mikey but this quote just led people to think that they're doing a Season 6 or something else WITH the 2012 show....yet, they'll never to anything with them probably again...at least they could do a spin-off comic but no.

At least we know that Mikey & Renet have contact...and that Mikey apparently kissed Renet but how true this is knows nobody.

Also we ignore Mikey’s pointless crush on Shinigami...I mean it does makes sense insofar “Mikey is heartbroken because he thinks he’ll never see Renet again, so he tried to move on and search another love in his time”...but why was neither the crush on Renet or on Shini mention, when one girl apparent in a episode.

They could’ve at least made a scene that Mikey was heartbroken in thoughts of never seen Renet again (since at least a year should have past when she left (”should have” because the timeline is so messed up that we don’t know it)) and that he simply try to forget about her or something but really nothing?

4. Just...why.

5. This

6. The past Turtles are still in Space...what are they doing? How would past Raph react to Mona (which he never meet before) and she’s randomly “Hello my boyfriend”?

Told future-Raph past-Raph about them having a girlfriend? I mean the past Turtles never meet the Salamandrians.

7. THEY'RE ALL STILL ALIVE BUT NEVER MADE A CAME BACK DEUIJHDEIUHIQHQSOI

8. Pigeon Pete.

Did he died?

Was he fired?

Turned he into a villain?

Did he flew away?

WHY DOES NOBODY WANT TO TALK ABOUT HIM???

9. There is a small chance that Mikey is either playing stupid or being extremely lazy or just being the biggest child alive. He showed many times in the show that he has a very good memory and a pretty good understanding of chemistry.

10. According to Mikey they're still 15 years, A SEASON BEFORE Casey said that the first Kraang invasion was "last year."...meaning they between Season 1 ending and Season 2 ending was 1 year in between but in Season 3 they're still 15?

By this they should've been 16.

Also by this logic, by season 5 they should be 18 because apparently between the ends of the seasons a year has past.

 End season 1 - 15

 End season 2 - 16

-End season 3 - 17

-End season 4 - 18

But following what Mikey said...between 3 seasons NONE year has past..meaning with in a single year (S1. E1. - S3. E.4) - They had 2 whole Alien invasion - Splinter "died" - Anything that happened around Karai. - They almost died more than once. - Mikey almost exploded. - A pizza zombie apocalyptic - They went into Dimension X - They found April's "mother” - April discover her power - At least 23 Mutation

I refuse to believe that all happened within LESS than a year.  Even for a cartoon...that's too much.

I absolutely hate the timeline in the 2012 show, it’s way too illogical and confusing.

[deus-ex-mona]

TO THE NEXT: Epilogue

finished this at full thlottle~. bye bye 1st anniversary live!!!

previous part (chapter 7)

MEGU: Ah, that was fun! Performing live really is the best!

RIO: Everyone was really fired up, yeah?

DAI: Ain’t that obvious? We were the ones who performed, after all.

YUI: Yup, yup. No matter the venue, no matter the stage that we’re on, we’ll be able to heat things up, right?

DAI: But on another note, hey…

DAI: Why the hell did we have to come to this conference room right after the live?! Normally, we’d be celebrating instead of having a meeting, right?

YUI: Dunno. Ask IV instead.

MEGU: Maybe we’ll be celebrating in here? How refined of a celebration we’d be having, then!

RIO: Let’s just wait for IV for now.

IV: Thanks for the good work, you guys. Thanks for waiting.

MEGU: Thanks for the good work too, IV!

YUI: You’ve been working a ton, IV. Even though you’re usually so busy, you still organised the live… It was pretty hard, wasn’t it?

IV: No, I enjoyed myself. I was able to get all kinds of gains out of it.

RIO: About that, isn’t it about time that you told us why we’re here?

IV: You guys, what’re your thoughts on the ones out of those four whom you interacted with this time round?

YUI: Even if you ask us for our thoughts…

RIO: I get the impression that Minami gets way too nervous because he takes things really seriously.

YUI: But, he completely changes the moment his performance begins! It’s as though a switch was flipped inside him.

RIO: Also, that honesty of Minami’s somehow draws others to him, and even YUI was swept up in his pace as well.

YUI: Hey! Don’t tell him that…!

MEGU: What happened? I’m really curious! I wanna know more deets about that part!

IV: Haha, let’s save that tale for the celebration, okay?

IV: DAI, MEGU, what did you guys think?

MEGU: At first, I thought that she was just an idol with nothing but a cute face.

MEGU: But, she was better at singing and dancing than I’d expected. Despite her appearance, she may be the type of person who’d put in a ton of unrefined effort, I guess.

IV: I see…

DAI: Her movements were kinda precise, and, well, she was good. She’s not as good as me, though.

IV: LIPxLIP, too, have improved remarkably since those days in the past.

IV: I hope that those four will be able to bring something to you guys too, Full Throttle4.

The Four of Them: “Something”, you say…?

Minami: Haah… All of them were amazing…

Minami: (LIPxLIP and mona were completely different from how they were at the Idol Festival half a year ago.)

Minami: (I’ve been working really hard for the past six months, and I thought that I was catching up to them, but…)

Minami: (Even as I’m improving, so is everyone else, huh.)

Minami: Also, Full Throttle4 was…

Minami: (Just by standing on the stage… even though that was all they had done, they brought so much excitement to the audience. They’re way too cool…)

Minami: I wanna be like that too…!

mona: Hmm…

mona: What’s up with that… that sharp and snappy dance?! It’s frustrating, but I gotta admit that he’s good…!

mona: Also, their singing… The two of them have such beautiful voices, and they’re really skilled at singing.

mona: I wanna know what kind of practice Full Throttle4 does…!

mona: I thought that I’d perfected my singing and dancing, but… I’m not good enough. I’m still not good enough…!

mona: Now that I know that I’m not good enough, I gotta make up for it! I’ll hafta practice more at my lessons from tomorrow on…!

Aizo: The live was amazing, right?

Yujiro: …Yeah.

Aizo: It’s not like it’s our first time co-starring with them.

Aizo: But every time I see those guys, I realise something.

Aizo: I thought that we’d improved, y’know…

Yujiro: Do you think that… we haven’t improved?

Aizo: …Nah, we’ve improved. Without a doubt.

Aizo: And we’ll continue to improve from here on out.

Yujiro: And we ought to do something in order to achieve that, no…?

Aizo: Yeah, I know that even if you don’t say it aloud.

Yujiro: That’s fine, then.

Yujiro & Aizo: (We’ll continue to move forward without ever stopping, no matter what stands in our way.)